There may have been a major miscalculation, whose consequences are now creating grave concern in Washington. The Times Online used the “nuclear” word in its lede and added: “The US considers rooting out militant sanctuaries in Pakistan critical to success in the Afghan war. Washington is also worried about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.”

From handshakes to worries about nukes. From “peace in our time” to the Battle of Britain. Once the overall design margin of a system has been eroded, failure when it comes manifests itself in a rapid cascade of events. The hidden stresses suddenly pile on each other and the structure, raddled with hundreds of weaknesses each minor in itself, collapses under their simultaneous impact. Today the United States is under threat on a number of fronts, from the Black Sea to cyberspace and South Asia. Since November 2008 America’s response to those challenges has been informed by a new set of assumptions about the nature of the world and the appropriate response to them. Now those assumptions will be put to the test. More than ever the United States needs good intelligence: about Pakistani intentions, the security of that country’s nukes, Taliban capability and foreign support against US troops. More than ever the public needs to know whether the world view of the new administration is part of the solution or part of the problem. Like the Islamabad, Washington will eventually find out.

Arguably, the best possible use for the bulk of the forthcoming $5bn would be to spend it on education, whose inadequacy is in all probability the largest single reason why the sowers of ignorance find such fertile soil — and the dominant feudal mentality again helps to explain why the idea of enlightening the masses has never quite caught on. Chances are the money will be put to more mundane uses, such as upgrading weaponry or servicing the international debt. A certain proportion may also end up in someone or the other’s pocket. Richard Holbrooke says the handout should have been multiplied by 10; Zardari, who at one point was keen on soliciting $100bn, would wholeheartedly agree.

Meanwhile, the inadequately explained bail for Maulana Abdul Aziz and his return to the scene of the crime, so to speak, is more or less guaranteed to enhance the sense of beleaguerment that has become second nature to the majority of Islamabad’s residents, accustomed as they are to sporadic blasts and massive security barriers.

‘The government,’ according to a report in The Guardian at the weekend, ‘is urging foreign embassies to move into a diplomatic enclave that may soon resemble Baghdad’s green zone.’ Almost everyone acknowledges, however, that adequate precautions against suicide bombers are hardly feasible. The vulnerabilities of Lahore and Karachi — to say nothing of Quetta and Peshawar — have already been demonstrated, while the likes of Baitullah Mehsud are free to hold press conferences, evidently with little fear of interception.

If the centre cannot hold, things will inevitably fall apart. Every now and then the odd flicker of hope can be glimpsed, but chances of redemption are fading fast. Once India concludes its drawn-out electoral process, it might be well-advised to make contingency arrangements for a wave of refugees driven by Islamist anarchy.

New media technology is becoming increasingly important to our jobs as responsible citizens. The work bloggers, wiki editors, and social media participants are doing is important to promote government transparency and to draw in more liberty-minded activists and citizen leaders.

In an effort to build relationships, the above mentioned sponsors have partnered with the Sam Adams Alliance to present Illinois Blogger Meetup & SamSphere- a one-day event aimed at helping selected political bloggers network with each other and build a stronger community.

This event is designed to bring activists of all sorts together to find out where their missions and goals align and create a community of liberty-oriented activists who will work together to amplify the pro-liberty message online and offline.

The conference will take place next month on Friday, May 8th at the Carlucci Restaurant in Downers Grove, IL.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Fairview Heights' State Rep. Ron Stephens has been joined by seven fellow Republican House members to demand Homeland Security czar Janet Napolitano apologize to returning U.S. troops for a recent U.S. security report they should be considered prime candidates for becoming dangerous rightwing extremists.

2 WHEREAS, The Department of Homeland Security's Office of3 Intelligence and Analysis released a report titled "Rightwing4 Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling5 Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment"; and

11 WHEREAS, The Department of Homeland Security assessed that12 right-wing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize13 returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and14 knowledge derived from military training and combat; and

15 WHEREAS, The report says that veterans are of particular16 interest among radicals, who would seek to recruit returning17 troops with "combat skills and experience" so as to boost their18 "violent capabilities"; and

19 WHEREAS, Pete Hegseth, chairman of Vets for Freedom and an20 Army veteran who served in Iraq, said the report represents a21 "gross misunderstanding and oversimplification [and] it's

HR0288 - 2 - LRB096 12416 GRL 25343 r

1 amazing they would single out veterans as a threat to this2 country"; he also said that "It underscores a pervasive belief3 that some are trying to spread that veterans are victims and4 we're coming home as damaged goods that need to be coddled5 instead of celebrated."; and

6 WHEREAS, American veterans have answered the call of duty7 and served our country when it needed them; and

8 WHEREAS, Veterans have risked their lives protecting our9 freedom; therefore, be it

10 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE11 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we12 urge Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland13 Security, to apologize to all veterans for alleging that those14 who serve our country are one of the greatest risks of15 extremism; and be it further

16 RESOLVED, That we urge Janet Napolitano to step down and17 resign as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in18 recognition of her actions; and be it further

19 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to20 Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland21 Security.

The origins of the word Illinois lie in the distant past of the nations who, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, spoke some form of the Algonquin language. The first transliteration of their name by the Jesuits were diverse: Illimoueck, Illinewek, Alliniwek, Liniwek--until Father Jolliet, havin spend a longer period of time in their company, determined that the correc word was "Illinois" (phonetically in English: "EE-LEE-NWA"). Like the Iroquois, they were not a single group, but a confederacy of subgroups, in their case numbering five: the Chahokia, the Kaskaskia, the Peoria, the Tamaoroa, and an adopted band, the Metchigami. The Metchigami were refugees from the West who crossed the Mississippi in search of protection at a time when the Illinois were at the apogee of their power.

--p 234, The Time of the French in the Heart of North America 1673-1818, by Charles J. Balesi

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Venezuela: As oil prices tank, Hugo Chavez rules through mobs and military force. Elected officials from the opposition have been jailed, beaten or forced into hiding. Democracy's in a coma. Chavez makes no secret of his desire to emulate Fidel Castro and become president-for-life. Obama's response? Embrace the Castro brothers.

and the real looming nuclear disaster,

Pakistan: It's over. We can't fix Pakistan. The Pakistanis aren't interested in our interests. Islamabad's intelligence services belong to our enemies and the army's deeply infected with Islamism and anti-Americanism. Every additional weapon we hand over may be used against us.

Pakistan's president, "Mr. Benazir Bhutto," is feckless, corrupt and incompetent. Our response? Hand him billions more to pocket (hey, it kept AIG from attacking us . . . ). If the administration doesn't re-think our approach to Pakistan fast, this may be a generation's strategic train-wreck.

The Los Angeles Times (4/17, A1, Miller, Smith, 833K) reports, "Civilian workers who suffered devastating injuries while supporting the U.S. war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan have come home to a grinding battle for basic medical care, artificial limbs, psychological counseling and other services. The insurance companies responsible for their treatment under taxpayer-funded policies have routinely denied the most serious medical claims. Those insurers -- primarily American International Group (AIG) -- recorded hundreds of millions of dollars in profits on this business." While wounded soldiers "are offered healthcare, rehabilitation and support services by the military, the civilians have to battle a federally supervised insurance system marked by high costs and excessive delays."

Saturday, April 11, 2009

I used to drink at the old O'Rouke's at North and Sedgwick hoping to bump into him. I'd see Roger Ebert instead. Bartender told me there was no more miserable customer than Algren. A real jerk towards women in the bar.

Anyways, this is how a significant chunk of Chicago's elite view our city. Why is a curious question.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Someone once said that, for every rookie you have on your starting team in the National Football League, you will lose a game. Somewhere, at some time during the season, a rookie will make a mistake that will cost you a game.

We now have a rookie President of the United States and, in the dangerous world we live in, with terrorist nations going nuclear, just one rookie mistake can bring disaster down on this generation and generations yet to come.

Read all of Sowell. Very tough times coming with Obama.

Update:Weekly Standard on Gibb's denial of the bow. More signifcant story than the Palin kid's boyfriend?

Wait till gas hits four bucks a gallon again. Everyone will be ticked watching this video over and over again.

"Reform has a tendency to put all but the biggest temperaments in a cocksure intellectual attitude -and that attitude puts one terribly out of harmony with the great underlying life forces. The gods take their revenge on the cocksure.